Happy New Year! 2014 was full of wonderful moments– we got to witness people just starting their journey with bone anchored hearing and see the bone anchored hearing community come together online and at events like the Ear Community Microtia and Atresia Summer Picnics and the Oticon Medical Patient Advocacy Conference.

We wanted to recap a few of our favorite moments of 2014– just in case you missed any of these incredible stories.

In 2014, Your Voices Were Heard — On October 31, 2014, after a several-month-long battle, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ruled that Bone Anchored Hearing Systems and auditory osseointegrated implants (AOIs) will remain a covered benefit for Medicare enrollees with qualifying indications.

Winslow Spoke His Mind — Winslow Pipes may only be 7 years old, but he knows what he wants when it comes to his hearing. And, in 2014, he took the opportunity to tell the world why. After trying his options, Winslow chose The Ponto System. Last May, Winslow decided he was ready to take the next step and be aided bilaterally.

Kevin’s Activation Made Us Cry — Okay, so maybe not all of us, but many of us cried. Kevin’s natural enthusiasm and reaction to fully hearing his own voice for the first time during his Ponto Plus activation was by far one of the highlights of 2014.

We Worked Together — We held the first Patient Advocacy Workshop, “The Sky’s the Limit.” While we’ve held the advocacy conference for years, we tried something different in 2014. We wanted to get together not just to socialize, but to make an impact. Because of the willingness of this incredible community, we did just that. One of our favorite outcomes from the workshop is the #SoundMatters Instagram Take-Over happening now: check it out.

We Met the Determined Dwyers — Not only did we get to hear about how Dr. Kelley Dwyer fit her brother Derek with two Ponto Plus Processors and the Ponto Streamer, we got to meet the Dwyer family– Kelley, Derek and Devin–at the Patient Advocacy Workshop.

Guy Kawasaki Shared His Ponto Plus Experience — When we reached out to Guy Kawasaki, who is the former Apple chief evangelist, founder of several companies and author of twelve books, we didn’t know if he’d have the time to share his experience– he’s a pretty busy guy! But Guy graciously shared his experience with Ménière’s disease and his Ponto Plus in an Oticon Medical blog interview.

These moments leave no question as to why we do what we do. We know that sound matters. Here’s a look at our promise to you in 2015 and for years to come:

Do you have an incredible memory to share? Let us know in the comments section below.

Cheers to a new year, where even more people can experience sound– because it matters so much to quality of life.